Twinflex and Multipoint User Guide
10
User Responsibilities
Introduction
The responsible person is required under BS5839 to undertake certain tasks with respect to the testing
and maintenance of the fire alarm system. The responsible person should also ensure that written
procedures are in place for the actions to be taken by the occupants in a fire condition, and that staff
required to operate the system have received adequate training. In a small building the fire procedures
can be quite simple, but when larger premises are involved the fire procedures can become more
complex and may involve the appointment of fire wardens, reporting procedures, various assembly
points, etc.
The responsible person is also required to liase with the building maintenance personnel to ensure that
their work does not impair or otherwise affect the operation of the fire alarm system, and to ensure that
a clear space is maintained in the vicinity of detectors, and call-points remain unobstructed and
conspicuous.
Routine Testing
The responsible person should also ensure that the following routine testing is carried out. If there is a
link to a remote monitoring center it will be necessary to advise the center prior to a test, or use the
control panel facilities to isolate the link. On larger systems it may be necessary to isolate building
services interfaces to avoid disruption to the occupants. In any case the panel should provide audible
and visual indication that parts of the system are disabled.
Daily
Check that the panel indicates normal operation and that any fault is recorded. Also check that the
recorded faults have been dealt with.
Weekly
At least one detector or call point should be operated to test the ability of the control equipment to
receive a signal and sound the alarm.
In practice it is far easier for the user to activate a manual call point, rather than a detector which
requires special equipment. A different device should be tested each time if possible, such that each
zone on the system is tested at least once in a 13 week period.
The results should be recorded in the log book.
Quarterly
‘The responsible person should ensure that every three months the following check is carried out by a
competent person’
In other words the system should be checked by a fire alarm service organisation. This may be the
system installer or an approved maintenance company, and is normally arranged via a maintenance
agreement which specifies the number of visits and the level of service. The agreement should also
cover non-maintenance visits, eg. call outs to attend faults, etc.
http://www.firealarmengineers.com
